Media scrutiny happens too, Abbott

It wasn’t so much
Tony Abbott
’s “shit happens’’ remark about the circumstances of Australian soldier Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney’s death, but the Opposition Leader’s reaction to the Channel
Seven
journalist asking the questions that has put him at the centre of a political storm.

Abbott’s colleagues were suggesting privately that the silent fuming and tense stand-off involving journalist Mark Riley was more worrying than the remark itself, offering a reminder of earlier public brain snaps. In this case context is everything.

Abbott made the comment after backing concerns raised in a digger’s email about soldiers being underequipped to fight the Taliban, while on a visit to Afghanistan in October.

The commander of coalition forces in Oruzgan province, United States Army Colonel Jim Creighton, reassured Abbott that troops had everything they needed on the day MacKinney died in battle on August 24, but sometimes things went badly in war.

The footage shows both Creighton and the then commander of Australian forces in Oruzgan, Major General John Cantwell – far from taking offence – agreeing with the Abbott comment.

And although Abbott rang MacKinney’s widow Beckie to apologise for any offence after the screening of the item, the soldier’s father Ian went public, labelling Abbott’s comment “insensitive’’.

Even Labor ministers
Stephen Smith
and
Greg Combet
backed Abbott yesterday. Talkback radio callers were divided about whether Abbott was insensitive or Channel Seven was out of line.

Publicly, a host of aggrieved Liberal frontbenchers rushed to Abbott’s defence.
Andrew Robb
described Seven’s behaviour as an “ambush’’ and a “desperately low act’’ and said Abbott would never make light of a soldier’s death.

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Riley denied the ambush claim, saying Abbott’s office had been given at least 2½ hours’ notice and even advance warning of the types of questions he wanted to ask.

Abbott’s anger was reminiscent of the election campaign brain snap in 2007 when, as health minister, he had to apologise to asbestos campaigner
Bernie Banton
, who was terminally ill with mesothelioma. Abbott had said “just because a person is sick doesn’t mean that he is necessarily pure of heart in all things". Banton had labelled Abbott “gutless’’ for refusing to see him about a petition.

Former NSW premier
Bob Carr
questioned Abbott’s fitness for the top job, twittering “Shit happens. Not a PM’s thinking’’.

Will it do him harm with the voters? Probably not. The public has a low opinion of journalists and Abbott has form.